Home Surveillance Systems
Securing Your Home Against Break-Ins
Since the creation of the very first home surveillance system, technology has been evolving at such a rapid rate that the home security market can barely keep up. Much like the personal computer market, once a new technology gets released by one home security company, a rival company is nipping at their heels with their own advances. While this type of competition certainly keeps the burglar alarm industry on their toes, it also provides the general public with abroad selection of home security systems. Having such wide variety in the types of home invasion security systems available may seem redundant, because after all wouldn’t everyone want the “next big thing”? But the fact remains that while a portion of the population can afford to stay on top of the technological advances that lead the home surveillance industry, other homeowners are simply looking for an effective way to secure their homes against break-ins....
Indoor Versus Outdoor Security Systems
The variety in the availability of home surveillance systems is sometimes overwhelming but the choice in home security systems begins with the decision of whether to purchase an indoor or outdoor alarm. Indoor alarm systems are specifically built with sensors that are triggered by minimal stimuli, whereas outdoor alarm systems are built to be slightly less sensitive to prevent them from being triggered by the neighbor’s dog, a passing raccoon or a heavy rainstorm. Weather is another factor that plays in deciding which alarm system is for you, purchasing a system that is going to be placed within the house means that you can invest in extremely sensitive technology without having to be concerned about how it is going to weather.
Outdoor alarm systems; however, must be much more durable and able to withstand even the worst weather conditions without experiencing an interruption in service. Whereas indoor home security systems are generally found within the home, outdoor systems can be found mounted at entrances or exits of the home as well as on surrounding property such as perimeter fences. Due to the significant differences between the demands on each of these camera systems there is also a wide array of specialty cameras that feature within each niche.
Indoor Surveillance Systems
When it comes to indoor alarm systems there are quite a few options available to the home surveillance customer, these options include: passive infrared detectors, ultrasonic detectors, microwave detectors, photo-electric beams, glass break detectors, and smoke, heat and carbon monoxide detectors. Each of these options offers a variety of coverage options throughout the home depending upon your needs as a homeowner.
Passive Infrared Detectors
Passive infrared detectors are one of the most frequently used options when it comes to home security and the reason for this is twofold: it offers reliable service while also being relatively affordable in comparison to many other alarm system options. The passive detectors are so named because they have no need to actively generate their own energy source unlike some other alarm systems. Passive infrared detectors work by monitoring an area for changes in temperature by first taking a reading on the overall temperature of the environment and watching for changes. As an infrared emitting object enters in to the area then it will cause a change in temperature which will be picked up by the system. The sensors within these passive devices are actually fairly complex and not only can they determine changes in temperature but they can compare areas within a monitored zone to identify whether or not an intruder is present.
Ultrasonic Detectors
Ultrasonic detectors differ from the passive infrared detectors in that they measure sound frequencies rather than temperature changes. These sound reliant systems emit sound waves in frequencies between 15 to 75 kHz that we are not able to hear and when there is an interruption of the sound waves due to an invading force the detector is able to identify intruders in the monitored area. Unlike the passive system discussed previously, the ultrasonic system must experience certain conditions in order for it to adequately function. The two conditions that are necessary for an ultrasonic system to function are that an object must be moving in order to disrupt the sound waves around it and the movement of the object must cause change in the ultrasonic frequency that surrounds it. Without these two conditions the ultrasonic detector is unable to detect change in the sound waves throughout the monitored area and as such it cannot function effectively.
Ultrasonic detection systems work much the same as echolocation works for bats; sound waves that are emitted from the system bounce back from objects within the room so that the system has a clear picture of what is in the room. Not all surfaces reflect sound waves; however, only solid surfaces are able to bounce back these sound signals and soft surfaces, like the body of an intruder, will soak up the energy without reflecting it back to the security system. Not many alarm companies utilize this type of technology in their systems anymore because it has become outdated in comparison to many of the much newer technological advances.
Microwave Detectors
Microwave detectors are utilized in some home surveillance systems and on most occasions this type of technology is also combined with passive infrared detectors as mentioned above, to achieve full coverage of a home and lessen the likelihood of a system being falsely tripped. Microwave detectors work by sending out microwaves and monitoring for any reflected waves or a reduced intensity of waves that determines whether there is an intruder present. This type of system relies upon a microwave transmitter as well as a microwave receiver and when it is functioning correctly it can respond to a shift in frequency, motion that changes the amount of microwave beams that are sent back to the receiver or a shift in frequency caused by motion within the room. This type of technology is rarely used alone in any monitoring system because of the potential for false alarms.
Photo-electric beams
Photo-electric beams are the types of systems often portrayed in spy movies, systems that transmit light beams (infrared or visible) in to the protected area. These beams are generally projected in multiple beams stacked on top of each other to prevent intruders from simply hopping over a single beam. These types of systems are generally not used in home surveillance systems because of the impracticality of them in this application. Most new surveillance systems that utilize photo-electric beams are also designed to detect utilization of light to manipulate and observe the beams. This advance means that all of those spy tips and tricks that you observe in the movies are only going to tip off the security system to your presence.
Glass Break Detectors
Glass break detectors are generally installed with many complete home surveillance systems to protect windows of the home. There are two options for glass break detectors, one which detects the sound frequency of breaking glass and one which detects the seismic activity associated with breaking glass. Where sound frequency detectors can be placed anywhere in the vicinity of a glass pane, the seismic detectors must be placed on the glass pane. Each of these systems work effectively in triggering an alarm once a glass pane in the home has been broken; however, most often the seismic detectors are implemented with complete home security systems.
Smoke, Heat and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Not all home security features are to monitor for intruders from outside the home, some features are to monitor for changes within the home atmosphere that make it dangerous to inhabitants. Smoke detectors are the most commonly recognized feature in this category; however, heat and carbon monoxide detectors are also popularly found in modern alarm systems. Unlike other parts of the home security system that much be activated to actively monitor the area, these types of detectors are set up to monitor the home 24-7 to ensure that at the first signal of danger, the home can be evacuated. While some of the current alarm systems have these features built in, other individuals choose to utilize independent detectors for these purposes. When using independent detectors in this situation it is important to regularly check the batteries to ensure that the systems are still working properly.
Outdoor Surveillance Systems
Outdoor surveillance systems have many uses in a variety of settings but they tend to be implemented more so in business and industrial settings. Variety is not limited to indoor security systems; however, when it comes out outdoor systems there are plenty to choose from including: vibration or inertia sensors, passive magnetic field detection, E-field, microwave barriers, micro-phonic systems, taut wire fence systems, fiber optic cable, and H-field.
Vibration or Inertia Sensors
These types of alarm systems work on the principle of the electrical circuit. A sensor is placed on a barrier or fence and has a continuous electrical circuit; however, upon vibration or movement the circuit is broken and the alarm is triggered to sound. While this type of system may sound as though it is rather unstable, it can be adjusted to respond to a variety of vibration levels and when done appropriately this system does not result in frequent false alarm incidences. This system type is also somewhat affordable; however, it must be mounted on a structure which deters many property owners from purchasing this variety of system.
Passive Magnetic Field Detection
The passive magnetic field detection system is a security system that must be buried or placed on top of a standing structure. This system functions as two wires run parallel to each other creating an electromagnetic field and whenever the field is broken or changed the signal processor of the system must analyze it. This type of system has a low false alarm rate but if often more costly to install; however, it is particularly efficient at detecting actual intruders. It should be noted though, that due to the magnetic field utilized by this type of system, it must not be installed for buildings located near radars or high voltage power lines.
E-Field
An e-field surveillance system is so named because it uses an electromagnetic field on one of the two wires in the system, and the second wire that runs parallel to it senses changes and channels them to a signal processor that analyzes multiple aspects including the mass, movement and time that the intruder is present. All three of these aspects must be detected by the e-field system in order for the alarm to be sounded. While this type of system can be installed in a wide variety of situations, it is seldom used because it is expensive and has a high false alarm rate because the system is unable to determine between human intruders or stray animals. This type of system is also frequently triggered by extreme weather conditions making it something of a failure as far as outdoor alarm systems go.
Microwave Barriers
Microwave barriers are a form of outdoor home surveillance system that work based on electromagnetic beams. The beam is emitted from a transmitter and is received by the receiver, this beam creates a wall that cannot be seen but can be broken through. When the electromagnetic beam is interrupted the security system will analyze the changes that have taken place and determine whether an intrusion is occurring. This type of alarm system is particularly affordable but not exactly the most practical system for use outdoors since it can be triggered by weather conditions as well as natural items that break the microwave barrier.
Microphonic Systems
Microphonic systems are generally utilized by locations that wish to monitor a fenced in area. The system is installed with cables that attach to the fence and are sensitive to noise or vibration signals that occur when the fence is being cut or climbed. The benefit of this type of surveillance system is that it can be preset with a certain setting of conditions so that it can be configured to override naturally occurring triggers to the system. When these systems are not accurately set; however, they frequently register false alarms.
Taut Wire Fence Systems
A taut wire fence system is an alarm system that is built in to a perimeter fence and they are generally used in some high security areas. These systems can detect any attempt to break through the fence barrier via detectors that are located along the perimeter of the fence. While other outdoor alarm systems may easily be tripped by wildlife in the area, the taut wire fence system can be adjusted to recognize only items that produce certain amounts of force on to the system, eliminating false alarms caused by small creatures. While this system is able to overcome some of the shortcomings of other surveillance systems, it is also susceptible to being bypassed by intruders digging underneath the fence. This is an older type of technology and although it works well for guarding higher security areas, it does not work well enough to be deemed useful in extremely high security areas because of the age of the technology employed.
Fiber Optic Cable
Fiber optic cable surveillance systems work by measuring the amount of light that is sent through the cable, when an intruder attempts to pass through the perimeter the amount of light is diminished. When the receiver of the alarm system detects a difference in the amount of light that should be present and the amount of light that is present it triggers the alarm to sound. This type of system is generally installed on a fence or in cases of high security areas, in barbed tape. While this type of alarm is easy to implement it also has a particularly high rate of false alarms which does not make it a good candidate as the sole means of protecting high security areas.
H-Field
The H-field system works by implementing an electro-magnetic field. Two cables are buried along the perimeter and the transmitter of the system releases radio frequency energy that is transmitted to the second cable. Much like other systems, this one is triggered when the amount of energy received by the receiver is less than under normal circumstances. Like most of the outdoor security systems, the H-field has a high false alarm rate and can also be affected by radio frequency noise rendering it useless.
The Home Surveillance System Industry Offers Something for Everyone
There is certainly no lack in the availability of security systems and while some of the latter systems explained above may seem obtrusive for home security, there are always individuals looking to increase their privacy through the implementation of technology. For most households the average indoor surveillance system does the job well and not only provides protection to the family but also provides assistance when necessary by directly contacting the authorities. Most of the well known security systems offer a variety of packages that combine a variety of the indoor systems explained above for maximum coverage of the home, but depending upon your needs you may find that a minimal package offers the level of protection you are looking for on a budget that you can afford.
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Post a CommentFactors to consider choosing a home alarm or security system
There are a number of factors to consider when choosing an alarm or security system for your home. Obviously, this is not an easy decision or one that should be made without due consideration. After all, the security and safety of your family is depending upon a good decision in this matter.
The first factor to consider may be the lifestyle that you are accustomed to. Think about how many people live in your home. Also consider whether there are people who come home late at night or if everyone is tucked in for the evening by 9pm. Each of these factors will play to a different type of system or configuration. Also consider if you have pets that like to move about the home and the home itself. Are there a number of doors and windows? How about sliding glass doors and other potential points of entry?
You also need to figure out where you want to place the main control panel. Think about how away from any doors or windows this will be. This also determines how the wires will run if you choose a wired system. Additionally, it should be in a central location which is convenient for all of the family members, but somewhere that pets cannot easily access and tamper with.
Consider your budget. If you are thinking about a more complex configuration, understand that this will likely cost you more money. Do you want to have something that includes monitoring? Personally, I think a system with monitoring is the only way to go. However, you must also accept the fact that you will be paying a monthly fee to the monitoring company. Then again, also consider the fact that they will contact you in whatever ways you have agreed upon if anything happens within the home. This may include a phone call, text message, cell phone call and even an email alert. So, maybe you consider this type of service to be a good form of insurance?
Make sure to choose a system which allows you enough flexibility to cover everything you want covered. This includes, at a minimum, all the doors and windows you want protected, maybe a few perimeter cameras and motion sensors and possibly a few internal motion detectors. Some systems will also have the ability to expand and integrate even more areas, which may be something that helps you to provide full coverage.
In addition to all of these factors and considerations, you should understand that there are now a multitude of options and features to choose from. You can literally have anything in your system that you can imagine. This includes cameras on the outside and inside of your home. You can place motion detectors anywhere you wish (this is a really cool way to monitor your perimeter...very helpful in areas with a lot of wildlife or potential intruders). You are even able to divide your home into zones and set up specific systems and options for giving special attention to each one.
Choosing a home surveillance system
Choosing a home surveillance system is certainly not an easy decision these days. There are so many features and factors to consider. Then of course, you also need to think about how to go about monitoring such a system. Obviously, you need to make sure that the monitoring company is reliable.
What type of features do you want in your system? You can find almost anything you want. Of course the next question becomes whether or not it is worth it to include everything you really want in your system. Some things would likely make the system cost prohibitive. Then again, if you were already thinking of moving, this might be the time to consider a new home with a built in security system.
Some of these new homes have incredible features. Many are equipped with voice recognition technology. You can literally command all the functions of your home by simply speaking! Too hot, tell the air condition to turn itself on. If you want more light, simply tell the system to increase illumination (either across the entire home or in a certain room). You can also download an application to your phone and be able to control everything right from the palm of your hand. The best part of that is this can be done even if you are thousands of miles away!
Think about what you really want your system to do. If you want to know whenever someone gets within 200 yards of any of your doors or windows that will mean a much different type of system than something which just monitors a 40 or 50 foot perimeter around your home.
There are cameras, motion detectors, and a number of other items which you may want to consider. However, some of the most effective things are also very simple and easy to put together. Why not consider having a heavy steel reinforced door? Another good idea is to add a nice deadbolt lock. If you decide to go this route, then you should consider something which includes a special cylinder in the middle of the deadbolt that makes it impossible to cut. I have seen demonstrations and this is really an impressive piece of technology. You can also find a door that makes it more difficult for a robber to pry open as well.
Another option is to simply mix and match your items. This is a great way to make sure you get everything you want, cost permitting, of course. Just make sure that everything is compatible so that you will not have any problems.
My plan will be to call a professional that is capable of installing the surveillance systems I have decided upon based on the information in this article. Then get an estimate and have the professionals determine whether such surveillance is suitable and cost-effective for my home. Fortunately, should they make alternate recommendations, I will be armed with the facts about indoor and outdoor surveillance systems and able to make an informed choice and not be swayed by salesmanship.
Why do you need glass break sensors?
As far as glass break detectors go, my question is, why? Maybe this could go in conjunction with another system, but then you would only know if it were tripped if property damage has already occurred. Plus, they can interfere with regular use of the window at times, especially the seismic detectors. I can see how these might provide some backup protection, but I would certainly not feel at ease with knowing my home is protected if the only security system that was tripped was one that alerted me after damage had already been done. I mean, windows by themselves are expensive! This sort of goes back to my point about an outdoor system, although I will say that any alert system at all is better than a broken window without an alert, since a burglar has a much better chance if no system goes off of completing an entire burglary without anyone noticing.
As you might have guessed by now, some of the outdoor systems seem more my style. I like the cost effectiveness of the vibration/inertia sensors, and personally I do not feel detracted by the fact that I might have to mount the surveillance system on something outside. The passive magnetic field system, however, seems quite promising with its lower rates of false alarms. Something that I have been thinking about as I read this article was the cost of time, stress, and even money incurred by a false alarm.
E-field systems, microwave barriers, and microphonic barriers seem to be the opposite of this effect and I do not even know why anyone would go down any of these routes, though of course I appreciate that they were listed and described here. As I touched on before, I think the stress alone of a false break-in is not worth the money you might save. Plus, too many false alarms can cost you if police come out to the house or neighbors complain. Then of course, there is the “crying wolf” analogy, as in, you might not get the same response from neighbors or police if they have had to come out for a false alarm many times already. Same goes for fiber optic cables and H-fields.
From my perspective, it is clear that an outdoor system with perhaps an indoor supplemental surveillance for when I am away on vacation is the way to go. The information provided about all the different types of systems was highly informative and I appreciated it a lot. That said, while the article will be guiding my initial perspective and opinions, there really is no substitute for getting a consultation from the experts. Many times in my life I have called a professional with my heart set on one thing, only to find out it was not suitable to my situation. The same might be said about a home surveillance system. Those lessons have taught me to not get my heart set on one thing without having all of the information.
Infrared monitors - home surveilance security measures
The infrared monitors seem an interesting choice. While they are relatively inexpensive compared to other options, what the article did not mention is that the infrared can sometimes be obscured in very hot weather or if the house or other structures are emitting a lot of heat. However, the more modern devices seem to not only look awesome while they work to protect the home, but also seem to have tweaks that allow them to distinguish between moving objects emitting heat and stationary objects emitting heat. It can also ‘normalize’ to a hotter background so that the background does not appear to be a solid red blur on a hot day. Apparently infrared can have all sorts of additions, usually based on climatic differences, so this is just what would happen with the basic model.
The ultrasonic information was interesting, but I did not think it was incredibly relevant to me or others in a similar situation as me. I could not find any alternative information on what the advantages to an ultrasonic detector would be within the home if an intruder’s body were just going to absorb the sound waves anyway and not alter them. Apparently parking garages like ultrasonic detectors because the cameras can be turned on by the movement of cars past a certain point, and they could be used theoretically to monitor a gateway or something like that. But otherwise it seems like they are not very useful. I also did not find any information on whether the high-frequency waves might have some sort of harmful health effects.
Microwaves seem to be similarly to not be all that useful, especially since it basically requires another system to even work, and then what would the point be? Plus, on the subject of health effects, microwaves are certainly questionable. This surveillance system would be like having the waves from your microwave oven bouncing all over your house; I cannot see a reason why this would be a good thing, or how it would help you and your property to feel safer.
While the photo-electric beam security system seems like it would be awesome to have in your home, I looked up the price and setup for these and it is definitely both costly and impractical for standard use. Sadly for me, I have no top-level government security files in my home or office, nor do I have any multimillion dollar rare pieces of art, giant uncut diamonds, coveted ancient relics or anything of the sort, so there is no particular reason to have this type of security system installed. The part about beam interruption tripping the systems these days was quite fascinating, though, since I have totally seen all of the spy movies where they use different things in order to see where the beams are.
I think I need a home surveillance system
Did this article help me? At first I was not so sure, but now after reading the whole thing, I do think it was good.
Burglary rates are up these days; in some places the rates are up at rates not seen previously for many years. Home surveillance systems are therefore playing an ever more important in both protecting property and ensuring that homeowners feel secure. Of course, purely by the laws of economics, this would mean that within the home surveillance system industry there will be a push for more products to become available as demand increases, as well as a push on lower prices as companies become more competitive for customers. While I agree that the competition will ultimately draw in new customers, as well as keep returning customers buying, I think having a new and improved system all the time to make the old one obsolete is taking things too far. Most burglars, after all, will be deterred even by a ten-year-old system anyway, and move on to the next house. And by the way, ten to fifteen years is how long these systems should be lasting, at a minimum. Otherwise, why pay so much to have your home secure? The latest technology is not the only way.
That all said, best value for the price for my individual needs would be first priority on my list of what to look for in a system, and this article definitely provided a great guide. I was not aware that there were differences between indoor and outdoor systems, for example. I did not feel overall that the article put enough attention onto why an indoor or outdoor system might be the preferred method of protecting or monitoring your home. With that in mind, I looked up some reasons why an outdoor system would be preferred, and there are a few good reasons: To protect cattle/livestock/animals and/or prevent them from escaping; protecting multiple structures such as a pool house, lanai, sauna, patio, or stand-alone garage; if your house has a large perimeter, difficult to protect areas such as glass-enclosed patios, or to be alerted of a prowler before a break-in with property damage occurs; and if you live in a relatively mild weather climate and would prefer the early warning of an outdoor system. The principal reason why anyone would do this is, of course, to know if there are burglars on the property illegally before any breaking and entering actually occurs. My thoughts are, I would feel safer knowing that I could be alerted and have the police as well as myself (if I were home) come intervene in the crime while it is still in the phase of trespassing as opposed to it escalating to breaking and entering, vandalism, property damage, and burglary.
great wikipedia article
almost like it was lifted from the wikipedia website
Original content
We just took a look at the corresponding Wikipedia page for Home Surveillance Systems and have to say that besides the title, and the fact that they are addressing the same topic, the articles are quite different. Our writers are asked to adhere to strict content quality guidelines that prohibit any sort of plagiarism. If, however, you feel this article, or any other article, are too close or similar to another article that was published prior to ours, please provide us with a detailed example of copy that you feel has been duplicated and we'll look into it!
H-Field Surveillance
Cool article! I can't believe this kind of Star Trek technology is actually available. Now if only I had the cash to install a couple H-fields around our house 
There would no longer be a need to worry about any kind of intruders. I suppose you could register certain people's weight profiles so they're recognized immediately? Then again, if you eat too many cheese burgers this wouldn't work for long...
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